Climate Action Co-benefits

Engaging in climate action through integrated sustainability strategies can yield benefits for communities in more effective ways than through compartmentalized approaches. Such strategies can result in co-benefits, that is, community benefits that occur from acting on climate change that extend beyond mitigation and adaptation. For example, creating more walkable cities can be a strategy for reducing greenhouse gases, but can also lead to healthier communities.

Climate strategies with co-benefits can result in “win-win” situations and thus improve practices for integrated community planning. However, this planning approach also presents challenges because some co-benefit strategies may also have associated trade-offs and/or barriers. MC3 conducted research on the co-benefits of climate action, examining both benefits and trade-offs in order to develop a comprehensive picture of the relationships and potential effects of implementing certain plans and strategies. We developed models of these relationships, particularly focusing on climate action related to densification, mixed-use development, downtown revitalization, buildings, energy innovation, ecological capital, transportation, waste and water.

The co-benefits models can be downloaded from the table below. Click the Model image (png) links to download image files of the models. If you would like to use, alter and/or further develop any of the model's for educational, research or planning purposes, click the Working project (graphml) links to download an editable version of the model. The models were created and can be edited using the free software: yEd Graph Editor

Special presentation delivered to the City of Vancouver at the Co-benefits and Integrated Planning Lunch-and-Learn session in Vancouver, BC (organized and hosted by the City of Vancouver and facilitated by MC3)